Micellar water - VERY BAD reaction

[VanessaBurns]

I wrote a review on Sephora's Triple action Micellar Water. Unfortunately because it was such a low rating or because of my negative comments - my comment has not shown up. ( Meanwhile a favourable comment on another product appeared within hours.)

Anyway - just as an FYI - I had a very bad allergic reaction to this product. It BURNED my eyes and the skin around my eyes. I immediately washed it off. The following morning my skin was raw and red and my eyes were puffy beyond belief. The day after that the skin round my eyes started peeling.

I have never had a reaction like this before to Micellar water or anything for that matter.

I found a couple of other reviews of customers who had almost the exact reaction. 

Anyway - I have emailed Sephora so they can report my reaction to the manufacturers. But I hope my review appears at some point so that people are aware. 

[Operadiva1]

The same thing happened to me. I'm hoping the puffiness will go away. It's only under my right eye. Also my skin turned red and I broke out. I'm back to using Garnier.

[SGAK]

Me too !!!! Puffy eyes on top and very red like punches in the face underneath. When I use it every night to remove my eye make up it burns and then I get red. This has happened on and off and I had no idea what it was. The only think that helps is steroid cream. I believe it’s the micellar water now that I see other have had the same thing. Eye make up remover has never bothered me so I never thought it was this. Going to stop using it and see if it works. It only affects my eyes nothing else on my face - I wonder why? 

[kamilla11]

same thing is happening to me right now, i don’t know how to get rid of the allergic reaction, benadryl isn’t working and i wake up to swollen eyes every morning. i’ve stopped using micellar water like 3 days ago.

[Eener1]

Same thing happens to me if I use most makeup removers. Last time was so bad I had to get steroids from the doctor to clear it up. The only makeup remover I feel comfortable using now is Ponds cold cream. Little messier than other options but much better than having swollen red eyelids.

[skincaregrlzzz]

They have really good micellear water at Marshall’s!

[annsue11]

Oh my gosh! The same thing has happened to me. I have been struggling with this dry and red rash around my eyes on on my neck. It took me over a month to realize Garnier Micellar water has been causing this. Glad to see your post!

[buddyluna]

Girl the same thing happened to me w a drugstore micellar water. After a few uses my skin got super red and burned a bit and I woke up with literally 50 blackheads in my tzone that appeared overnight and I’ve never had them before. I stopped using it and they went away along with the irritation but I’m so relieved to see someone else had a problem too. Everyone always raves about how gentle it is and how it can’t hurt you, but it 100% can 😭

[WinglessOne]

@VanessaBurns  There’s an automatic “bad words” filter that runs on all product reviews right after they’re posted. I wish Sephora would post the “bad words” list on BIC so we’d all know which words to avoid, because they’re not just swear words. 

My negative review of Milk Kush mascara was auto-deleted 6 or 7 times (I altered/edited it each time) before I gave up. After the first deletion, I asked about it in the customer support group/thread. A mod reviewed my review and tried to figure out the problem themself, then said the issue was apparently the word “burn.” At the time, one of the review guidelines had something to do with mentioning medical conditions, claims, and reactions, if I recall correctly. The current review guidelines forbid “evidence of potential danger, injury, violence or death” and “discussion of medical conditions or claims of medical effectiveness outside of the stated product benefits.” I still don’t see how the word “burn,” in the context of describing a bad reaction to a product, qualifies for either of those flags... it’s a very long and ridiculous stretch to call a bad burning reaction a “discussion of medical condition.” But here we are. 🙄 

Even when I removed all words/terms from my Kush review that had any medical connotation, my review was auto-deleted. Maybe folks aren’t allowed to post multiple reviews on the same product, even if the first review was deleted—similar to Amazon’s review policy. I dunno. But I do think honest negative reviews containing useful info (like, oh, bad reactions to products) are very helpful. You might be out of luck trying to get your review to stick on the product page, but thanks for sharing it on BIC. 🙂 

[CoffeeWuff]

@WinglessOne 

This is honestly crazy - tells you a lot about the mindset of the people who put those "forbidden words" lists together...ouch.

Great info to know about though. They should really publish some sort of list for the people who write reviews. Glad you figured that out for you, though & were able to help someone out with that info. 😉

[VanessaBurns]

@WinglessOne  - Wrote another review after reading your reply. I took out any words like allergy, reaction, burning etc. And boom my review is now up within only a couple of hours. I couldn't express myself the way I wanted to - but it worked. You called it lady!

[VanessaBurns]

My Jaw is literally dropped right now. You have validated my thoughts/concerns about my missing review. Exactly what I thought was happening, happened. I can't believe that honest reviews go missing due to certain flagged non-offensive terms. 

Clearly - those who are writing reviews are not claiming to be medical experts, so why should it matter if we use words like "burn" when our skin literally feels ( or has been) burned. This is nuts! I am floored. And disappointed that I likely won't be able to attempt another review because the platform won't let me. Ugh!

THANK YOU so much for your message. At least I know I'm not crazy. 

[VanessaBurns]

Spoiler

@WinglessOne  - I just replied to you but didn't tag you! Whoopsie! See message to you in thread and thank you again!

[VanessaBurns]

UPDATE! I heard back from Sephora's Customer care. They thanked me for the feedback but then said that Sephora can't be held liable and that using any product is at one's own risk. Pretty disappointed as I wasn't planning to sue Sephora - lol! I just want to know why my review has not appeared ( as a warning to others) and to report my reaction to manufacturer. Oh well ! I tried. And I have since tried writing another review. Hope it shows up.

[loveyall]

Wow, that's a pretty strong reaction on their part.  Also, is that true? I'm not sure a company can't be held liable for issues caused by their products, depending on the circumstances.  It's extra annoying because you were not even going there. I hope your review makes it-- as it will be helpful to others.  I wrote a negative review a few days ago about a product (updated from a previously good review) but do not see it.  Thanks for the heads up on the product. Try putting aloe Vera on it if it is not too close 2 the eyes .

[haleyvvvv]

Oh no, @VanessaBurns, so sorry to hear about your reaction. I hope you can figure out what the culprit in the formula was and that your skin is getting back to normal.

Just an FYI, reviews can take 72 hours or more to post (and says so after its submitted). I do think there sometimes it can seem like more negative reviews take longer, but I wrote like 12 the other day and a couple negative and positive were posted right away and a mix was also published later. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Hopefully it will get posted soon!!

[VanessaBurns]

Thanks! ( my skin is still peeling but I’ll survive)
It’s been 6 days since I wrote it. I hope I didn’t accidentally swear or something! Lol! 

[haleyvvvv]

Weird!! Something must just got caught in a filter. I've posted a couple of very negative reviews of SC products, so it's likely that maybe a swear word or something. I hope your new review gets posted!! @VanessaBurns 

[VanessaBurns]

Spoiler

Well, I wrote another review and it's been days and still a no-show ! And I definitely didn't swear! Lol! But I am wondering if it got flagged for "allergic reaction". WHO knows! 

[CoffeeWuff]

@VanessaBurns 

Too bad the micellar water didn't work for you - I hope your skin is okay again.

Maybe a reaction to the high fragrance content of the product (perfume is listed in the middle of the ingredients)? I haven't tried that product myself because I tried to avoid highly fragranced skincare - so, that is just a thought.

However, I hope there is only a delay on Sephora & your review still shows up. I often find negative reviews more helpful because the chances of them being honest are higher - so, thanks for letting people know. 😉

[VanessaBurns]

Thank you - I’ll be sure to check on fragrance content in future purchases!

For now I’ve gone back to my regular ol’ Nivea micellar water with no issues. Phew!